John Rose Battley, JP

FRSA The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...

(26 November 1880 – 1 November 1952) was a British printer, company director and Labour Party politician. He served on the

London County Council The London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today ...

and was Member of Parliament for

Clapham Clapham () is a district in south London, south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (including Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Ea ...

for a single five-year term. He was a notable

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ''a ...

and

conscientious objector A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of conscience or religion. The term has also been extended to objecting to working for the military–indu ...

Early life

John Rose Battley was born on 26 November 1880 to George Battley, a labourer who later opened a grocer's shop, and his wife Adah Elizabeth (née Maderson), a seamstress. His mother died in 1887, according to Battley "due to working as a sempstress at her treadle sewing machine night after night into the early hours of the morning in order to help my father, who was a casual labourer, to provide their children with a fair share of bread and dripping for breakfast and tea, and boiled rice for dinner." Battley attended the Basnett Road Elementary School, leaving aged 13 to become a printer's apprentice. He found this experience quite distressing, describing the "mischief done to my mind and soul as a lad" but later set up his own printing firm with his brother George in 1905. At a time when a week's paid holiday was standard in the printing trade, Battley Brothers offered a fortnight. In addition, they offered their employees a Sick & Funeral Fund, Endowment Fund, Hospital Savings Association, Study Circle, Staff Samaritans Fund, the firm's sports teams, pay higher than the trade union standard, Christmas boxes, a silver spoon for every baby born to an employee, as well as contributing half the cost of employees' overalls and their laundering.

Conscientious Objector

Battley became a

during the

Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic an ...

. In the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Battley's

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

beliefs and membership of the

Fellowship of Reconciliation The Fellowship of Reconciliation (FoR or FOR) is the name used by a number of religious nonviolent organizations, particularly in English-speaking countries. They are linked by affiliation to the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR). ...

bade him to declare his

conscientious objection A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of conscience or religion. The term has also been extended to objecting to working for the military–indu ...

. The

Battersea Battersea is a large district in southwest London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and also extends along the south bank of the Thames Tideway. It includes the Battersea Park. Hist ...

Military Service Tribunal granted him exemption only from combatant

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer military, volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Few nations, such ...

; he appealed to the

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

county appeal tribunal, and was granted exemption from all military service conditional upon working as a market gardener. In May 1916 he was made to dig cauliflowers in a Twickenham market garden as part of his conditional exemption. In a letter, he said; "When I tell you there are nearly 15,000 plants in cloches of 4, you can imagine my task... My arms and hands have swollen to twice their usual size and have given me ceaseless pain. My feet have been blistered (the nails on my toes turning black with pain) but I'm out to show, as I know you are, that a CO is no shirker if he is an idealist."

Municipal contribution

He was also a member of the Labour Party and in 1934 he was one of the Labour candidates for

Wandsworth Borough Council Wandsworth London Borough Council, also known as Wandsworth Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Wandsworth in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Labour m ...

in the Clapham North ward; he lost narrowly. He then fought the

division in the 1937

election; while unsuccessful that time, he was elected for the division by 57 votes in a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

in May 1938. He was made a Justice of the Peace for the County of London in 1940.

Parliament

At the 1945 general election, Battley won the

Parliamentary seat, which had the same boundaries as his LCC division. He was a Parliamentary supporter of

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting Temperance (virtue), temperance or total abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and ...

, and opposed a government amendment to allow civic restaurants (former 'British restaurants' run by local authorities) to sell alcoholic liquor. He also opposed the

National Service Act 1948 The National Service Act 1948 ( 11 & 12 Geo. 6. c. 64) was an Act of Parliament which extended the British conscription of the Second World War long after the war-time need for it had expired, in the form of "National Service". After a bill ...

, which continued

national service National service is a system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act ...

for at least a further five years. Battley never made a speech in Parliament, although he did speak in the chamber on a few occasions to ask questions of Ministers.

Retirement

Although he had been elected only three years previously, Battley announced in June 1948 that he would stand down at the next

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

to make way for a younger man or woman. He therefore did not contest the 1950 general election, and died two years later, after a long illness.

Family

In 1933 he married Sybill Allchurch, and they had two sons: Bernard and actor

David Battley David John Battley (5 November 1935 – 20 January 2003) was a British actor of stage and screen, mainly appearing in comedy roles. Early life Battley was born at Battersea, London, the elder son of John Battley, a post-Second World War Labou ...

References

External links

*M. Stenton and S. Lees, "Who's Who of British MPs" Vol. IV (Harvester Press, 1981)
Battley's entry in ''Dictionary of Labour Biography''
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Battley, John Rose 1880 births 1952 deaths British conscientious objectors Members of London County Council Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1945–1950 Fellows of the Royal Society of Arts